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So I am bored at work and I asked myself: how can we fix Tau? And this is what I was thinking:

For the Greater Good
Due to advances in Fire Warrior armnaments, all Fire Warriors, Pathfinders and Drones benefit from Slow and Purposeful when firing their weapons. This rule also applies to Broadside Units, which now include stabalisers as a basic equipment upgrade.

In addition, any Fire Caste unit that chooses to Run rolls two dice and picks the highest.

So they have relentless. I don't think that would help much really. They have good enough range.

I think tau are still great IMHO.

Fire warriors simply need some for of heavy weaponry to be a better troop choice.
Give them access to rail rifles, networked markerlights (for less than 30 points a pop) and some form of anti-horde.
I don't care if it's not fluffy. Change the fluff.

BS4 would also be a good band-aid.

Piranhas with Rail weaponry, please.

Or maybe a Sly Marbo equivalent... Fish Marbo.

Canonness Rory wrote:Fire warriors simply need some for of heavy weaponry to be a better troop choice.
Give them access to rail rifles, networked markerlights (for less than 30 points a pop) and some form of anti-horde.
I don't care if it's not fluffy. Change the fluff.

BS4 would also be a good band-aid.

I know, make them vet guard!

A rail rifle or burst cannon in a FW squad would be nice, as well as a point cost reduction OR BS4.

There's not enough "wrong" with Tau to warrant any drastic changes, a simple fix to the troops is all. Move stealth suits there with a minor tweek, the aformentioned FWs, and an overhaul on kroot and their subspiecies (making them upgrades, rather than taking up valuable extra FOC slots, if they still do these days...)

The biggest and only serious problem is with fire warriors. If that core unit can be given a good place the rest of the army should fall into line.

The problem with giving them access to a special weapon is that it takes away one of the things that mark the Tau as different - their regular troops should be doing the killing. Problem is that right now a unit of 10 firewarriors won't do a lot to justify the points. Firing at regular marines you're going to kill around one on average, and that isn't good enough for a slow unit that isn't particularly durable.

One option is to just drop the price to 8 points or thereabouts. Alternatively they can be upgunned by getting rending (this would increase the effectiveness against marines to about 1.6 kills, which is closer to what it needs to be).

Maybe let them run in the assault phase. Or rapid fire at 15".
But reducing the Devilfish from 80 points default to something like 40 or 45 would be nice.
Run Shoot Run

20 ork shoota boys - Score 6.69 wounds (vs t4) from 18" (with allowance for a 6" move & afterward, a 6" assault)

12 Tau fire warriors - Score 4 wounds (vs t4) from 30".

If their meant to be doing the killing, they need a touch more firepower.

My thinking would be, as I like the seperated rolls of a tau army (compared to the all-in-one tacticals sqauds), there needs to be seeker-missile batteries which have multiple munitions types. They cannot fire themselves but have an impressive payload. They can be fired indirectly via marker-lights (this giving more use & I think better intended use to the team-leader markerlight. I say this because one standard seeker missile isnt going to effect diddly squat against infantry, where-as a more blast or multiple hit laser missle thing will actually achieve results).

Edit: Oor rather than making a seperate seeker-missile-battery system (which would be cool), stick with the status quo of seeker missiles on vehicles, fireable by any markerlight... Just allow for a more varied munitions loadout..rather than copy-pasting hunter-killer missiles.

For 10ppm, 4+ T3 30" guns.. they are worth it. They just need a touch more dakka.

Do these calculations about hitting or giving FCW BS4 include the markerlight capability? I agree FCW struggle in the current edition, just not sure upping BS or adding supplemental weapons to the squad is the way to go.

There's another huge thread elswhere on Dakka that discusses the Tau and offers some options.

Razerous wrote:20 ork shoota boys - Score 6.69 wounds (vs t4) from 18" (with allowance for a 6" move & afterward, a 6" assault)

12 Tau fire warriors - Score 4 wounds (vs t4) from 30".

If their meant to be doing the killing, they need a touch more firepower.

My thinking would be, as I like the seperated rolls of a tau army (compared to the all-in-one tacticals sqauds), there needs to be seeker-missile batteries which have multiple munitions types. They cannot fire themselves but have an impressive payload. They can be fired indirectly via marker-lights (this giving more use & I think better intended use to the team-leader markerlight. I say this because one standard seeker missile isnt going to effect diddly squat against infantry, where-as a more blast or multiple hit laser missle thing will actually achieve results).

Edit: Oor rather than making a seperate seeker-missile-battery system (which would be cool), stick with the status quo of seeker missiles on vehicles, fireable by any markerlight... Just allow for a more varied munitions loadout..rather than copy-pasting hunter-killer missiles.

For 10ppm, 4+ T3 30" guns.. they are worth it. They just need a touch more dakka.

I agree with the missle battery idea, I think that is great! on the other hand though, I think fire warriors should def get a price drop to maybe 8 points even if their BS went up, due to the fact that they are 5 pts less than the old marines and far worse in stats. A slightly better gun that hits half the time aint so good. I think in general crisis suits, stealth suits, Broadsides, all vehicles and troops, save allies of course, should have BS4, they are a race which focuses entirely on shooting, has worse ws than gaurd and no BS4!?!?! very confusing...

Thing with Tau if you give them BS4, what you are looking at is you can more bodies at the same cost at BS3 or you can have less bodies at BS4. This thinking here is to get them away from statistical gunline battles and give them the opportunity for mobility. Even if it is just the option of 2D6 Run, giving them a nice boost on the turn they do not fire.

I like the idea of Weapon Teams in Tau armies, the idea being that their tactics have evolved as they have had to face and ally with the Imperium.

I for one look forward to the next Tau book it will be cool what GW does with them. Them and Tyranids.

BS 4 would be alright, they wouldn't have to have their points changed then.

My thinking is they feel about the right amount powerful/tough just over costed pretty highly in the 5th edition environment.

My feeling is that a full squad of Firewarriors w/ leader, knife upgrade and a Devilfish should be about 150 points.

I'd also like the pathfinder equipment as an option for them (markerlights + carbine). That would give them a support role they currently lack.

Jack

In theory Markerlights + Skyray or Markerlights + Seekers in general is supposed to fill the role of Special/ Heavy Weapons.

Why not show that the Tau have better support?

Here are a few suggestions to make the Firewarrior better:

-Built in Targeters (BS4)
-free Photon Grenades
-Pulse Rifle Heavy 2 OR Rapidfire
-May Replace pulse rifles for Carbines for free (now Assault 2)
-Two per squad may exchange pulse rifles for Markerlights*
-Ballistic Armour: Counts as having FNP against Shooting Only

*Markerlights can be used to call in support strikes in addition to their current capabilities:

Seeker Missile Mark II: Now 2d6 armor penetration and AP2.
Inferno Missile: Str 5 AP 5 Blast; Ignores cover
Plasma Core Missile: Str 6 AP 2 Blast.

-For the point cost I agree w/bs4 since they have such poopy other stats

-photon grenades are a must as all "disciplined" armies are getting free grenades nowadays

-Ballistic Armor is to much and wish listy, so are the different types of missiles. I'd settle for them dropping the missile cost to 5pts while allowing basic firewarriors to take a marker light or two.

-I like the heavy 2 or rapid fire idea for the rifles but they are normally really careful about multiple type weapons (only psycannon and sonic blaster as far as I know)

why not just simply make the fire warrior cheaper? Perhaps 7 points instead of 10? And perhaps give them weapons teams in squads so that you can wield anti MEK firepower.